The Boy Next Door
by Sprout2012
Summary: Harry has a new neighbour, and he and Al make friends. This will be a Draco/Harry fic, but poss future Scorpius/Al but nothing happens as they are only young.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize belongs to JK Rowling, anything you don't is mine – although I wish Draco belonged to me, as does my beta Twisted-Kitten 90! I am not making any money off of this, it is just for entertainment!

**A/N:** Okay so I was planning on staying away from multi-chapter stories, as I have no idea when I can update. But I couldn't help myself and since I have finished my other stories, I needed something to do.

Here is a simple story maybe a few chapters long. Enjoy.

**The Boy Next Door**

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaad. Dad. Dad. DAD!"

"I heard you the first time Al. No need to deafen me. What?" Harry answered his clearly hyperactive son.

He grinned and pointed wildly to his left, "We have new neighbours. I thought I saw some children's stuff being carried in, I hope it's a boy. But I guess if it's a girl Lily will be happy."

Harry turned to where Al was still pointing and saw a removal van. He wondered if they were muggle or magic. This was a mixed neighbourhood, with muggles and wizards living side by side. So it could be a magical family, but moving the muggle way, so they didn't give the muggles a surprise.

Harry noted that the furniture being removed was of a very high quality and was beautiful. Nothing like the standard mass produced furniture that decorated his house. He suspected that the neighbours furniture was bespoke, one of a kind, and ridiculously expensive. He also could see a few items had concealments or glamours on them, so they were obviously magic and disguising the stranger items just in case muggles were looking.

"Come on Al let's go get lunch, it's rude to stare." Harry steered Al back into the house.

James was a friend's house, staying over for the night. Harry tried not to dwell on the fact that his children were growing up too fast and before long James would be heading off for Hogwarts. Well in a year and a bit, but still it only felt like yesterday that he was bringing James back from the hospital, all puffy faced, with a powerful set of lungs on him.

He and the kids have been living here for three years now. When Lily was a toddler, he and Ginny called an end to their marriage. It was a mutual decision and as far as separations go, it went well with no ill feelings, just sadness. Soon after, Harry moved out but within a year Ginny was re-signed back onto the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team and now toured the world, and was away training most the year.

The children moved in with him and it has been that way ever since. They saw Ginny as much as possible, and often wrote to her, spoke to her via floo, and even visited her to watch her play.

That year that he was living alone, only having the kids on the weekends, Harry re-evaluated his life and experimented with his sexuality. Now he dated men and women and his friends and family were aware of his sexuality but it wasn't a public known fact.

Harry was very happy with the way his life was at the moment. His children were happy, he felt settled and comfortable in their family home, and all his children were doing well at school. The only thing lacking at the moment was a love life, his last boyfriend being months ago now.

Pushing his love life—or lack thereof—to one side, Harry made lunch for himself and Al since James was at his friend's house and Lily was with George, playing with Roxanne.

"Don't go bothering the new neighbours Al. Let them at least get their belongings through the door before you bombard them with questions." Harry warned, with a smile on his face.

The house next door had been sitting empty for at least eight months now, and Al often wished for new neighbours. Harry was surprised Al hadn't combusted he was so excited.

Al did as he was told and played in the back garden, keeping away from the front where the neighbours were unloading the removal van.

He kicked his ball against the fence and it landed in the flowerbed; when he went to fetch it, he heard a quiet, "Hello," through the fence.

Al plonked down in the mud, not caring that he probably squished his dad's flowers and his clothes were getting dirty.

"Hi," Al replied, his voice a tad louder.

"Do you live here?" The quiet voice asked.

"Yeah. Me, my brother, and sister. Oh, and Dad of course, we don't live on our own because that would be strange." Al happily supplied.

"Oh."

"How about you?" Al asked, as the timid voice had stopped asking questions.

"Just me and my father. I'm an only child and my..." Al heard a sniff and when the boy continued his voice shook slightly, "...parents split up."

"Sorry to hear that. My parents are split up too. That's why it's just my dad living here with us. But they spilt up years ago now. I remember it being a scary time, you can talk to me if it helps. It must be hard not having any siblings to talk to." Al reasoned.

Silence, Al was just about to ask if he was still there when he started talking again.

"Thank you." He sincerely said.

Before Al could ask anything else he heard a sharp, clear, and grown up voice, "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy I suggest you get out of that mud this instance. Your grandmother would have my head if she knew you were playing in the dirt in those expensive shoes she got you. Come in and change into your play clothes, then you can go back out and get as dirty as you like."

Al heard shuffling and assumed that the boy had stood, "Sorry Father."

"It's not me you should be apologising to. Your grandmother has taken a walk to the nearest store to buy some things for lunch, so hurry and get changed before she sees you in this state." He said, his voice no longer sharp.

Al called, "Bye." but was unsure if the other boy, Scorpius, had heard him.

Al ran inside, "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Dad. Dad. DAD!"

Harry appeared, "Al, must you do that? You know I am in the sitting room. What now?" He asked.

"I spoke to the neighbour..."

"Al, I told you not to bother them." Harry reprimanded.

"But Dad I didn't. I lost my ball in your flowers and when I went to get it, the boy next door started talking to me through the fence. I couldn't ignore him; that would be rude." Al explained.

Harry smiled, Al had a fair point, although judging from the state of Al's clothes Harry would bet his flowers were now ruined.

"Anyway, he said it's just him and his dad. He sounded really upset, I think his parents split recently. I told him he could talk to me if he wanted." Al excitedly rushed to tell his dad.

"That was kind of you." Harry praised.

"I know. I think his grandmother is around somewhere too, but I only spoke with the boy and I didn't get to ask his age. His dad called him in for lunch." Al finished, brushing mud off his trousers and all over Harry's cream carpet.

Harry shook his head, he didn't know what possessed him to get cream carpets with three kids and now a dog.

That made Harry think, "Come on Al let's take R.D for a walk."

Harry had taken to shortening the dog's name to R.D, as the children had named him and Harry felt silly calling the dog Roald Dahl—the kids' favourite author at the time.

R.D was a St Bernard; they got that breed of dog because of the kids' fascination with them after watching the Beethoven films with the famous St Bernard. Harry was reluctant to get such a big dog, but R.D was a softie; in fact, he was nicknamed the BFG for the Big Friendly Giant—a book by Roald Dahl.

R.D slobbers something terrible and constantly sheds hair all over the place, but Harry and the kids adore him and couldn't imagine family life without him. R.D is very loving, and Harry would delight in having his company when all the kids were in bed. He was only two years old, so hopefully they had many years left with him.

Hermione had done her research before Harry got R.D and warned him that as a fully grown male St Bernard, R.D could weigh as much as 15 stone or 210 pounds, and that is no laughing matter. But R.D is trained and never jumps up and is brilliant with the children.

Harry attached his lead, grabbed his keys, and they headed out to the nearby park that allowed dogs. Lily had screwed up her nose when Harry first walked R.D with her and he had to clean up his dog mess. Harry explained about the responsibility as a dog owner, and she said that was good, but she would never do it. She suggested that Harry use it as a form of punishment when James was being naughty—poop scoop duty!

Harry alone would just magic it away, but he always carried the muggle things to pick up any mess just in case.

Al ran off to climb a close tree once at the park, and Harry let R.D off his lead. He made sure to keep an eye on Al and the dog. Twenty minutes later he could have sworn he saw Narcissa Malfoy, but when he looked back the elegant lady he must have mistaken for Narcissa was gone.

After Al and R.D had enough Harry headed home, tugging a tired Al and R.D along. Once home, Al settled on the sofa to watch cartoons with R.D taking up the other end sleeping. Harry got started on the preparations for dinner. George had fire-called to say Lily was staying over with Roxanne for the night, and not to cook her any dinner. So once again it was just him and Al.

James and Lily were very sociable. Lily often stayed at her grandmas, with Roxanne or Hugo, and sometimes her primary school friends. James also spend a lot of time with his cousins and friends. Al was quieter; he had friends of course but he preferred to be at home with Harry.

After dinner, Harry insisted Al had a bath; playing in the mud and climbing trees had made him filthy. Harry then enjoyed a very peaceful and quite evening with Al. Helping him with a school project and listening to him speculate about the quite speaking boy next door.

OOOoooOOO

The next day brought the return of James and Lily, and that meant the return of noise and chaos. James reminded Harry that he had promised to build them a treehouse, and Harry groaned at the thought. However, he got his tools out and set about attempting to build something that resembled a treehouse.

One of the reasons Harry chose this house, was because of the large family friendly garden. It was easy to maintain and beautiful too. Harry suspected that James suggested that he get started on the treehouse so Harry would be distracted, giving James free rein to get up to mischief.

Lily requested the treehouse, once complete, was painted pink which sparked a huge argument between her and James. Harry declared that it was to be painted a neutral, unisex colour. He then had to explain what unisex meant and then think of something to keep the kids entertained. Eventually James called on a friend and told Harry he was going swimming. Lily decided to brush R.D and then write a letter to her mother.

Al had been walking up and down the fence that ran along the new neighbours' garden all morning.

"Al, I don't think he's there." Harry commented.

"I know, but he might show later and I want to talk with him again." He replied, settling into the same spot as yesterday.

Harry ruffled his hair, "I'll be in the garage getting some wood ready. Come get me if you need me, okay?"

Al nodded and Harry left him to his waiting.

As soon as his dad and siblings had left, Al heard, "Hello."

Al smiled, he suspected the shy boy had been there for some time but too shy to talk with others around.

"Hello. I hope you didn't get in too much trouble for getting dirty yesterday." Al started up conversation.

"No, not really. Father doesn't mind, just gets uptight around Grandma. Did I see you walking a huge dog yesterday?" Scorpius had seen him out his bedroom window.

"Yeah. That's R.D, he's a St Bernard and is great. Very friendly, maybe you can meet him one day." Al didn't push and say what day, as he suspected that Scorpius was painfully shy and would need time before he felt confident enough to come around and see the dog.

"That would be nice. What's your name? I didn't get a chance to ask yesterday." Scorpius requested.

"I'm Al. I'm eight, what about you?" He liked this boy, he himself was shy and struggled making new friends, but he seemed to find it easy to talk to his mystery neighbour.

"I'm eight too. Al; that's nice and simple. I hate my name." He grumbled.

"It is unusual, but I like it. It's unique. Well my full name is Albus Severus but Al is easier and I prefer to go by that." he elaborated.

"Oh. Father won't let me shorten my name. He said if he wanted me to be called Scor he would have named me Scor. He's a bit fussy on things like that." Al noticed that Scorpius was opening up more and even talking with a bit more confidence.

"I best not call you Scor then, I don't want to upset your dad. How was your first night in your new home?" Al kindly asked.

He remembered staying over at his dad's for the first time and it was all strange and scary, but he soon got used to it and now this really was home.

Scorpius hesitated but decided on being honest to his new friend, "I didn't sleep well. Father let me join him, but I guess I shouldn't make a habit of that, I am eight after all." He haughtily announced.

"That was nice of your dad. Bet he was lonely too and liked having you there with him." Al was quite grown up for his age.

"I guess. I wish I could make him happy." He said dejected.

"I'm sure he is happy, just unsettled. It must be hard for him too, splitting up with your mum and moving out and all that." Al hoped he was helping.

"I know. I've been giving him extra-long hugs to let him know I love him lots." He wasn't embarrassed to admit how much he loved his dad and that he still hugged him at his age.

"I love hugging my dad too. James calls me a baby, but James is a prat. He's my older brother and is so annoying. Lily, my little sister, still hugs dad, but she's six so I guess it's okay." Al rambled, not wanting to end their conversation.

After a moments silence Al blurted the first thing he thought of, "My dad is building us a tree house. Cool huh?"

"Wow! That is cool." Scorpius uttered in awe.

"You can come play in it when it's done. Can I ask you a question?" Al hesitated.

"You just did." Scorpius pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I did, didn't I. Oops. Well another question then?" He asked.

"Sure, I might not answer, but you can ask." Scorpius answered.

"Um, why aren't you living with your mum? I mean we lived with our mum until her job made it difficult. She plays..." Al stopped he wasn't sure if this boy was a muggle or a wizard.

"Uh sports and has to travel a lot. We moved in with Dad after that. Rose, my cousin who knows everything, said it's quite common for children to live with their mothers after divorce." Al continued.

After a long pause he added, "I'm sorry if that was a rude question, you don't have to answer, I was just curious."

"No, it's okay. I wanted to live with my father. My parents gave me the choice and I chose him. I hope Mother doesn't take it too badly. It isn't because I love Father more or anything, I just...I..."

"I'm sure your mother understands." Al tried his best to calm Scorpius, he sounded upset.

"I just think Father needs me more right now, and Mother wasn't too bothered about who had me. I'll see her regularly." He finished.

Harry peaked into the garden to check on Al and saw that he was talking to the fence—obviously the shy boy from next door was on the other side. He smiled, he had a feeling that those two would become the best of friends.

He checked on Lily and she was happily colouring in a picture for Ginny and writing a letter as neat as she could.

Harry himself had abandoned the treehouse making, seeing as James was no longer there to bug him. He would wait until Neville or someone was free to help. Neville was surprisingly good with tools and soon became a favourite among friends to rope in to help with DIY jobs.

OOOoooOOO

The summer holidays were going fast as always; the neighbours had been in their new home for over a week and Harry had yet to catch a glimpse of them. Al had spoken to his friend through the fence every day since that first day. James and Lily thought he was going crazy and teased him, claiming Al had made the boy up. Seeing as every time they tried to join in, they received no answer. Al protested that it was because Scorpius was shy and only trusted Al.

By the second week Harry had no choice but to go next door. R.D had managed to escape and was currently digging holes in the new neighbours' garden. Once again, Lily and James were out, and Al insisted on coming with him; he hoped to get a glimpse of his new best friend so as to put a face to the voice and name.

Harry readied himself, raised his hand, and knocked. A few moments later a boy about Al's age answered.

"How may I help you?" He politely enquired.

"Hello, is your dad home?" Harry asked.

"Of course he wouldn't leave me on my own, that would be irresponsible." He said in a manner that questioned Harry's intelligence.

Harry tried not to laugh, "Right, sorry. What I meant was, can you get him for me?" Harry rephrased.

"Okay, one moment." He shut the door slightly.

"Dad, I don't think he knows it's me." Al said disappointed.

"Well he wouldn't, would he? He doesn't know what you look like, and you haven't spoken yet so he hasn't recognised your voice." That put a smile back on Al's face.

"Oh, yeah." He said cheerfully.

A short while later the door was once again opened and there stood Draco Malfoy. Harry gaped at him, utterly and completely speechless. Not only was it a shock to learn that Malfoy was his new neighbour, meaning the shy boy that Al adored was Malfoy's son, and that Malfoy had split from his wife, but most of all that Malfoy was gorgeous. It was too much for Harry's brain to process and he just stared for a long time.

"Dad? Dad are you okay?" Al asked.

Scorpius smiled, "Al."

Al turned to face the boy who was stood next to his father, "Yes. You recognised my voice." He beamed, happy that Scorpius finally got to meet him.

"Of course! We've been talking for almost two weeks now. Is your dad alright?" Scorpius pointed to Harry.

Draco wasn't about to speak; he was silently amused at the stunned look on Potter's face and he wanted to see how long Potter's speechlessness would last. He spent the time subtly giving him the once over, and concluded that Potter was as handsome as ever, if not more so. Less scrawny and more manly.

Harry came around upon hearing Scorpius' concerned voice as he asked Al if he was okay.

Harry cleared his throat, feeling awkward and a little stupid, "Uh, hi."

"Hello," Draco replied hiding his amusement.

"I live next door. This is Al my son, he's been talking to your son through the fence." He blurted, wincing at how ridiculous he sounded.

"Right. I gathered that much Potter. Can I help you with something? Wanted to borrow some sugar?" He asked.

"Um, no thanks, I have sugar. Lots of sugar."

"Am I meant to guess at what you want then? We could be here all day if that's the case." He couldn't help the smile that broke out.

"No. We um...well..."

Al rolled his eyes, he hadn't seen his dad get all flustered and tongue tied like this in ages.

"What my dad is trying to say is, we lost our dog. He's in your back garden, can we come get him? Also, he may have dug a few holes too, sorry about that." Al informed Draco, who himself was momentarily stunned into silence at the resemblance Al had to his father.

"Dog?" Scorpius frowned. "I was in the garden not a moment ago and didn't see one." He stated.

"That's because he's only just escaped." Harry replied.

"Very well." Draco said, stepping aside and indicating Harry and Al to follow him.

Al and Scorpius waited and walked together. Having an awkward conversation, as this was the first time actually seeing each other.

"Hi,"

"Hi,"

"Finally nice to meet you." Al told him.

"Likewise."

"Want to see my room?" Scorpius asked.

Al grinned, "Yes."

"Father I'm showing Al my bedroom." He informed Draco.

Draco nodded, pleased that Scorpius had a friend and one that lived close.

"You seemed to have unpacked and settled in." Harry tried to make conversation.

Draco continued to walk through the house, back to Harry, "Yes, we did move in two weeks ago." He replied, not rudely, more stating fact.

Harry chuckled, "I lived out of boxes for months. It wasn't until Hermione came around and gave me a kick up the backside did I start unpacking properly." He confessed.

"Figures." Draco said playfully. He suspected Harry was a procrastinator.

He himself couldn't stand the sight of the boxes and disorganised rooms. He would stay up late into the night making sure each room was sorted and everything was in its place. He wanted it to feel like home to Scorpius as soon as possible. Having the familiarity of their belongings would help.

Draco opened the back door and there he saw a St Bernard stretched out on his lawn, obviously tired out from the few holes that littered his garden.

Harry winced, "Sorry. He never digs holes in our garden. He's a strange dog. I'll make sure to sort the holes out before we go." Harry turned to survey Draco, was glad to see that he didn't seem angry, in fact he was smiling at R.D.

Harry called to the silly dog and he came bounding towards them.

"Malfoy meet R.D." Harry introduced them, bending down to stoke R.D's head.

"Call me Draco, please. Seems wrong calling me Malfoy around my son, and well, I'd prefer Draco." He admitted.

Harry nodded, "Right sure. R.D this is Draco, our new neighbour."

R.D slobbered all over Draco's foot and laid back down.

Harry screwed up his nose, "Ah, yeah he does that. A lot. Very slobbery dog—sorry."

"Not a problem." Draco cast a quick spell to clean his shoes.

"Take a seat at the garden table, I'll fetch us a mug of tea. I'm sure Scorpius and Al will be some time yet." With that he headed back in.

Harry sat at the table as requested. Admiring its craftsmanship and design. It was a lovely garden set. Made from an expensive wood for sure, but Harry didn't know what kind. It consisted of three benches and a table. All carved from a tree to perfection and very sturdy.

Draco returned and caught Harry's appreciative gaze at the table.

"Custom made. Made from Ironwood. Asked for it to be made when I was travelling in Malaysia." He informed Harry even though he never asked.

"It's beautiful." Harry couldn't think of anything else to say about it.

"Yes, I think so too." He was very fond of this set and had to fight Astoria for it.

Draco set a bowl of water down for R.D and proceed to make them tea. Harry couldn't help but think he was in some strange alternative universe. He was sat in Draco Malfoys back garden, drinking tea, talking politely, with a happy dog at their feet, and a happy son with his new best friend.

"How long have you lived in this neighbourhood?" Draco asked after a moment's silence.

Harry met his gaze, determined not to shy away from making eye contact, "Four years roughly. I love it here. All the houses are detached, and have massive gardens. Not to mention the happy, well-balanced mix of muggle and wizards. It's a quiet, safe, and tidy neighbourhood. I'm glad I discovered it really."

Draco nodded in agreement, "Pansy helped me find it. She was probably thinking of her commission; she's an estate agent—sells houses. Said this one had been vacant for some time but she knew it would be perfect for me and Scorpius. She was right of course."

Harry smiled, Draco was speaking openly and honestly with him. He wasn't trying to act better than him, or be aloof.

"Have you enrolled Scorpius in school? Or is he staying at his old school?" Al would be very pleased if Scorpius transferred to his school.

Draco frowned, "We've decided to transfer him to the local school nearby. He wasn't making friends at the old school, and I think that with the divorce he would want to be closer to home, or rather me. I doubt he sees this as home just yet."

"I know what you mean. The kids took some time before they got used to having parents that were divorced, and struggled for a bit. But then James pointed out that it meant double presents. As usually we'd buy one present and put from the both of us, but now we give the kids one from each of us. So once he realised how he could manipulate it to his advantage he was okay." Harry joked, although what he said was all true.

"Sounds like a future Slytherin." Draco teased, his eyes shining with amusement.

Harry shrugged, "Maybe. But I think James is a Gryffindor through and through. No, not because of me, but because he is so much like his grandfather, or what I've been told of him anyway. Also he doesn't think before he acts, bravery or stupidity whatever you call it, it's very Gryffindor." Harry replied casually.

He was finding it nice to have an adult to talk to, to relax and get to know Draco.

"And the others?" Draco asked.

Harry thought for a moment, "Lily maybe Gryffindor too. Al, although shy, he would do well in Slytherin. To not be in the same house as his brother, to have a chance to be his own person."

Draco smiled, "It's between Ravenclaw and Slytherin for Scorpius. It could go either way I think. A part of me wants it to be Ravenclaw so he can make a name for himself, and not be another Malfoy in Slytherin. But another part of me would love for him to be a Slytherin, to experience the same as I did. To sleep in the same dormitories and use the same common room." He supplied as his reasoning.

Harry smiled, Draco really had changed. Matured since becoming a father. Harry liked this new Draco.

"It won't be long before I'm packing James' things and sending him off to Hogwarts. Makes me feel old." He complained.

Draco grunted, something Harry though he would never do, "Tell me about it." He agreed.

The boys came out into the garden, "Hello R.D." Al said, sitting on the deck beside the dog to pet him. Scorpius joined Al and stroked R.D's belly.

"Why is he called R.D?" Draco asked curious.

Harry huffed, "The kids, not me. It's his initials, Roald Dahl is his name, after the muggle children's author. One of the kid's favourites. I dare say it's because he wrote things called _The Twits_ and such." Harry admitted.

"Can't say I've ever heard of him." Draco knew it was because Harry said he was a muggle author.

Al stood and joined Harry on his bench, "His stories are brilliant. I'll lend Scorpius my collection. James' favourite is _James and the Giant Peach_ but only because it had his name in it. Lily loves _Matilda_. My favourites are _Fantastic Mr Fox_ and _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_." Al happily rambled.

Draco smiled at Al, he seemed confident enough to talk once he had decided to trust someone. It pleased Draco to note he was one of those people Al trusted.

"Well I'm sure Scorpius will enjoy reading them." Draco said as a thanks to Al's offer of lending them to him.

"You have to read them too! They're classics, you have to read them so Scorpius can talk to you about them. It's good to share." he sternly told Draco.

Harry laughed, Draco grinned, "Seeing as you're quite adamant, I will endeavour to read them as well."

"Good." Al firmly announced.

"Father, can I have something to eat?" Scorpius asked timidly.

Draco checked his watch and was surprised at the time, "Crikey! I didn't realise that was the time. You should have said something earlier Scorpius. How about I order a takeaway just for tonight, as that will be quicker than cooking something."

Scorpius grinned, "Okay."

Draco turned to Harry, "Would you care to join us, or do you and your children have plans?"

"James and Lily are out for dinner, most likely the entire night. They always seem to be sleeping over at one friend's or another's. It's just Al and I; I'm sure Al would love to stay for dinner. I would too." He answered surprised at the offer.

Al beamed at Scorpius, "We're staying for dinner. Cool."

Scorpius returned his eager smile.

"What food do you prefer?" Draco asked Harry and Al.

They settled on pizza as the boys were fussy, and ate outside. The temperature was mild and the air had a slight breeze.

Draco frowned when Harry stared at him, "What?" He asked, as Harry continued to stare.

"Nothing. I just assumed you would be one of those weird people that eat a slice of pizza with a knife and fork. Cutting small pieces and eating it delicately. You just surprised me by picking it up and eating using your hands is all." Harry explained sheepishly.

Draco rolled his eyes, "We never ate pizza when I was growing up. Then when I was old enough I decided to eat however I please. I'm sure if Mother were to eat one she'd use a knife and fork, but she'd never eat one to begin with." He clarified, glad to smash Harry's delusional assumptions about him.

Al rolled a slice up and started eating it, "I like it like this." He supplied as his opinion, cheese and tomato sauce covering his mouth.

Harry shook his head and Draco laughed, rolled up his next slice and tried it, "Mmm, it does taste good that way."

Al grinned and Scorpius, once seeing that his father had done it, also followed suit.

"I think I prefer the normal way, sorry Al." He sounded as if he was delivering grave news.

Al shrugged, "To each their own and all that."

Harry suspected that Al picked up that particular saying from Ron. Al was such an easy going guy, he never judged anyone and appreciated the fact that everyone was different.

It was a good thing, seeing as he and Scorpius were quite opposite in many ways, including appearance and style. The obvious being blond vs. dark hair and groomed appearance vs. the not bothered attitude of Al.

Then their fashion styles were completely opposite. Al was wearing a blue t-shirt with some cartoon design on the front, with jeans, and scruffy trainers. Scorpius was wearing a perfectly ironed shirt, a few buttons undone at the top and sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tucked into a pair of smart, beige, casual chinos that were turned up at the bottom. On his feet he wore no socks, and loafers. As his trousers were turned up and he wore no socks, you could see his ankles and the tops of his feet. To top the look off, he wore an expensive looking belt and an even more expensive looking watch.

Harry wondered what his formal look would be. However, it suited Scorpius, who obviously got his sense of style and fashion from his father. Who just so happen to look as equally smart, yet effortlessly casual.

Draco was also wearing chinos, but his were light a grey and they didn't turn up at the end. He wore chocolate brown plain Oxford shoes and a plain t-shirt and blazer. To Harry, it was what he called smart, but to Draco he guessed it was dressing down. As he didn't wear tailored trousers, a tie, or robes. To Draco, he was dressing smart casual and Harry thought he looked amazing.

Harry still wore t-shirts and jeans, but his look had matured. He often wore smart denim jeans instead of scruffy worn ones, he would wear smart trainers or shoes and often t-shirt and blazer, a shirt, or some form of knitwear. So he kept the comfy easy style, but it had matured from 'that will do until the clothes fell apart' wear, to a more put together and tidier look.

Draco glanced up and caught Harry staring at him again, "What?" He asked again, amused.

Harry seemed embarrassed to be caught staring again, "Oh I was just thinking about um clothes. I bet you don't own a pair of denims do you?"

Draco wasn't offended, he was surprised that Harry was watching him and taking note of his attire.

"I do actually, of course designer ones that probably cost more than your whole wardrobe." He teased.

Al snorted, and Harry smiled.

OOOoooOOO

From that night onwards, it became routine for Draco, Harry, and the kids to socialise and take turns in spending time at one another's houses. James and Lily officially met Draco and Scorpius, but Al was very protective of Scorpius and didn't want his siblings taking him away from him. However, James and Lily would invite friends over and they would all spend time in their own groups, or as one big group.

Al was currently doing his homework, as they were due to return to school next week and he had all of his holiday homework still to do.

Scorpius was stretched out next to him, adding the odd tip and occasional snarky comment about Al's handwriting and intellect.

Harry had settled into a friendship with Draco; it felt natural and he found he looked forward to the time he spent in his company.

Scorpius and Al would take turns to sleepover at each other's house, and tonight was Harry's turn to have Scorpius. James was in his room writing to Teddy, and Lily was decorating a cake for dessert for everyone.

Harry walked through the living room and saw that Scorpius and Al had their heads bent together whispering feverishly. That wasn't anything unusual, but Harry had a feeling that this time they were plotting something.

"Boys, dinner will be ready in a moment. Go wash your hands and sit at the table." He interrupted.

After dinner, and the delicious cake Lily had made, was consumed Harry found out what the boys had been whispering about.

James had excused himself and left to polish his broomstick and play with R.D. and Lily was colouring a picture for Harry, while Scorpius and Al stayed behind to help wash up.

Harry knew something was the matter the moment they had volunteered as they never, not once offered to help clean up before.

He could hear the two boys having a whispered argument, "No, you bring it up."

"No way, it was your idea, you do it."

Harry cleared his throat, "Is there something you wish to ask me boys?" He calmly asked.

They turned and looked at him, "Um Scorpius has something he wants to talk to you about." Al said as he shoved Scorpius' shoulder.

"Ow." Scorpius scowled at him.

"Just spit it out boys." Harry said, laughing inwardly at their behaviour.

Scorpius stood straighter, held his head up, and spoke clearly, "You and Father are friends now, right?"

Harry nodded, "Yes."

"So, from one friend to another, you would want the best for him right?" He continued.

"Of course." Harry had no idea where this was going.

"If I told you I want your help to ensure Father's happiness, would you be willing to help me?"

Harry frowned slightly, "It all depends. What you think will make your father happy, may not actually be the case. What is it you need my help with?" Harry hoped that Scorpius hadn't gotten it into his head that his parents should get back together.

Harry knew that wouldn't make Draco happy, he couldn't help Scorpius with that.

"Father is seeing someone new and I don't like them." He admitted, his face scrunched up as he thought of his father's new partner.

Harry was taken aback at that. He wasn't aware that Draco was dating again. Harry felt stung, Draco hadn't felt the need to share that with him. Did Draco not see the friendship as Harry did? Why didn't he want to confide in Harry?

"It isn't my place to tell your father who he can and cannot date Scorpius. Have you spoken to him? Told him that you are uncomfortable? Maybe you just don't know them well enough. Make the effort to get to know them and you may find you really like them." Harry answered, trying to show that he was here to talk with Scorpius, but he wouldn't get involved in Draco's love life.

Scorpius crossed his arms, "I don't want to get to know them! He's a tosser." He declared, storming off in the direction of Al's bedroom.

Al looked to his dad, "I'd better go talk with him. Sorry Dad, he was hoping that you could talk Draco out of dating this bloke, but it was a long shot." Al scurried off.

It took Harry's brain a moment to register that Scorpius and Al had refereed to Draco's new partner as a male. _Fuck, maybe we aren't proper friends; he would have told me he was into men if we were_ Harry thought.

Then Harry's unhelpful brain suggested that maybe Scorpius was staying around his place tonight so that Draco could go on a date. To have alone time with his new lover. This didn't sit well with Harry, but he decided not to dwell on it. He pushed it aside and put his unease down to the fact that Draco had neglected to tell him he was seeing someone, a male someone.

The next day Harry dropped Scorpius home, and he stayed for a quick cup of tea. Scorpius was sulking with Harry, and completely ignoring his father.

He retreated to his room, slamming the door for added effect.

"Did you discipline him for something last night? Or tell him he couldn't have sweets for breakfast?" Draco joked.

Harry pondered telling Draco, eventually deciding to be honest, "He mentioned you were seeing someone, and he asked me if I'd help um I guess get rid of them. I said it wasn't my place to tell you who you can and cannot date and well he didn't like that answer."

Draco groaned, "I thought he was being difficult because Alex is the first person I have dated since Astoria. I assumed no matter who I dated, Scorpius would object because it made our separation more final. I thought he held a little hope that his mother and I would get back together one day. By dating someone else, that puts a stop to that idea. I had no idea he felt this strongly about it." Draco sounded concerned.

"That explains why he's been short tempered with me recently." He added.

"How long have you been seeing um Alex?" Harry wanted to get the whole picture, but he also wanted to know if it was serious.

Draco rubbed his face, "Not, long a few dates. Nothing serious at the moment. Scorpius has only met him briefly once. He has no idea what Alex is like; he dislikes him on principle."

Harry felt bad for Draco, he remembered dating again after Ginny and the guilt he felt. The need to keep his children happy, they were top priority—but getting that balance was important. You couldn't be expected to put your life on hold, you couldn't remain celibate all your life to suit your children.

"Maybe arrange for Scorpius to meet Alex and get them to spend a bit more time getting to know one another." Harry suggested.

Draco sighed, "Yeah, maybe. Maybe I'm not ready for this, nor is Scorpius and well I'm sure Alex didn't sign up for a bratty child."

Harry took offence to that, "You were honest with this Alex guy I assume. He knew from the start about Scorpius."

Draco nodded, Harry continued, "There you go then. Alex has no right moaning about Scorpius. He knew from the get go about him. I'm guessing Alex has no children. If he did he would know that no matter what your children come first, even over your own happiness."

Draco smiled sadly, "No, he has no children. Seemed a bit unsure of Scorpius, but like I told Alex, it's not like I am asking Alex to become his stepfather or anything."

"Yes, but he has to at least like children, or accept that Scorpius is a big part of your life." Harry grumbled, liking this Alex less and less.

"I know. But we haven't really gotten to the deep heavy stuff, and I didn't want to make him go running before this thing had even started." Draco dejectedly admitted.

"Then maybe he isn't right for you. I'm sure there are plenty of available men who will understand that you are a father first." He pushed.

"How do you do it?" Draco blurted, "You've dated since Ginny right?"

Harry laughed, "Of course. It's difficult. I try not to let the kids get too attached to someone just in case it doesn't work out. I don't parade my partners in front of the kids, trying to keep the two parts of my life separate. Occasionally I have felt comfortable and trusted the person I was with enough to introduce them to the kids. It is all trial and error, and as you may notice I am very much single so I haven't found the right person just yet."

"Are we doomed to be single forever, until the kids have grown up and left home?" Draco gloomily wondered.

Harry groaned, "I bloody hope not. You'll be alright. Anyhow, Scorpius will be at Hogwarts soon, then you can fit a man in your life."

Draco grimaced, "Hogwarts is ages away Potter, I am not going without for that long."

Harry knew what 'without' meant and tried not to blush.

"Maybe Alex isn't the right man, but he's a right now man. I'm sure he can be beneficial to me without needing to be some super stepfather figure." He reasoned.

Meaning, Draco was happy to use Alex for sexual gratification, and keep him away from Scorpius.

"You know eventually Alex will demand more of your time, or Scorpius will and you won't be able to balance the two. Something has to give. You need to find someone who can become a part of your family life and give you all the other things you want." Harry was proud, he was sure he wasn't blushing.

"I know that. I know Alex isn't a long term thing. Maybe I don't want something so serious so soon. Maybe a bit of fun is just what I need. I'll speak with Scorpius, and hopefully I can appease him." Draco spirits seemed lifted.

Harry tried his best to ignore the unsettled feeling he was getting when he thought about Draco and his means of having a bit of fun.

Harry downed his tea, "Now that your soap opera life has been sorted, I'd best be off and make sure the kids haven't burnt the house down."

He left, deep down routing for Scorpius. Hoping that he would find a way to drive Alex away.

- TBC -


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I have managed to get myself a beta. Yay! I am re-posting all my current stories now that Twisted-Kitten 90 has checked them over. Hopefully the newer versions of my stories will make for better reading.

She will also be checking all future stories. A huge thank you to Twisted-Kitten 90, much appreciated.

**Chapter Two**

Scorpius had not altered his opinion of his father's new boyfriend, the guy was an idiot. But no matter what he said his father refused to end things. Scorpius was currently sitting on Al's bed, sulking after a long rant about the situation.

His father had decided he wanted some alone time with his new boyfriend and had convinced Harry to take Scorpius for the night.

Al jumped up, excitement written all over his face, "I got it!"

Scorpius glanced up and smiled, "Yeah?"

"Yep. I have some of George's products here. If you're willing to take one, you'll become ill and then Dad will have to take you home. Then you will disrupt Draco and put a stop to his night. I'm sure your father wouldn't refuse to take you back if you were ill." He explained triumphantly.

Scorpius grinned, "Brilliant. Um what does this thing do?" He asked concerned, he had never eaten anything from the Weasley joke shop as his father always warned him to stay away from anything edible that they sell.

Al bit his lip, "Depends on which one you take. I'll get my secret stash out and you can have a look through them and pick which you'd prefer."

Al scurried over to his desk, opened a drawer, and then removed a false bottom that concealed a secret compartment. He pulled out a few boxes with 'Skiving Snackbox' written on it and dumped them on the bed.

Al looked over at Scorpius and noted that he looked unsure, "A Skiving Snackbox is a range of sweets to make the user appear to be ill. If you take one you will develop strange symptoms depending on the type of sweet eaten. Most come in two colour-coded parts: one that would cause you to become ill, and one that cures you." Al hoped the fact that there was an antidote that cured the sickness would convince Scorpius to take one.

Scorpius had picked up a few of them and was reading the side effects and what illness it caused when consumed.

"Your uncles' are geniuses. Mad, but clever." Scorpius complimented.

Al looked sad for a moment, "I never met Fred. But he was alive when the Skiving Snackboxes were invented."

Scorpius felt sympathy for Al; Al was from a very close-nit family and a loss of a prominent figure in the family must be difficult.

"Sorry." Was all he could think to say.

Al shrugged, "Thanks. So which one are you going for?" He asked, back to his cheerful self.

Scorpius grimaced, "Father won't see it as an emergency if it was only a nosebleed or something. So I need to go big...but I don't know." He didn't like the sound of the Fainting Fancies or the Puking Pastilles, but a Nosebleed Nougat wasn't severe enough.

"Maybe a Fever Fudge? You won't have to puke." Al encouraged, handing Scorpius the box of Fever Fudge.

"Okay." He reluctantly said opening the box.

"Once you eat the correct end you will develop a high fever in seconds. So maybe we should go hang out downstairs with Dad for a bit. You can drop hints about feeling unwell and play it up a bit, then sneakily take the Fever Fudge and you'll suddenly get a temperature." Al suggested.

Scorpius nodded, put the fudge in his trouser pocket, and re-arranged his features to show he was feeling unwell.

Al beamed at him, "Excellent! You're a natural actor."

Scorpius flashed Al a quick smile before returning to his gloomy expression. Al hid the remaining Skiving Snackboxes and they went downstairs.

When they entered the living room Al made a point of saying loud enough for his dad to hear, "Just get comfy on the sofa and I'll get you some cold water. Might help."

Scorpius nodded and sat on the two-seater sofa opposite the three-seater sofa Harry was sat on.

Harry frowned when he noticed Scorpius' expression, "Are you okay?" He asked kindly.

Scorpius shook his head, "No. I'm not feeling too well to be honest."

Harry could see that Scorpius wasn't himself. Al returned and Scorpius took a few sips of the water.

"Thanks Al." He said feebly.

They sat watching TV for a short time, then when Harry had left to refill Scorpius' glass Scorpius took the Fever Fudge. Al tried not to snicker at Scorpius' facial expression as he chewed the fudge.

Within seconds, Scorpius' face became flushed, and his forehead felt hot.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" Al called panicked.

Harry rushed in, "What?"

"Scorpius doesn't look so good. He feels really hot too." Al pointed out.

Harry summoned the first aid kit and took out the thermometer. He was sure that there was probably a spell that checked someone's temperature, but he didn't know it so he had to use a muggle thermometer.

Scorpius pulled away when Harry tried to stick it in his mouth.

"It's okay Scorpius, it is a gadget that checks your temperature." He reassured.

Scorpius frowned, and Al added, "I've used one before—it's safe, I promise."

Scorpius opened his mouth as Harry instructed, "I'll place the tip of it under your tongue. Hold it in place and close your mouth. It has to stay like that until it beeps."

Scorpius nodded and lifted his tongue. After a short pause they heard a beep, Harry removed the thermometer, and read the digital screen.

"It seems you have a high temperature, a fever I'd say. Right...shit." Harry muttered.

Al chuckled, "Dad, language."

Scorpius stared up at Harry and put on his 'puppy dog' face and eyes, "I want to go home."

Harry ran his hand through his hair and paced a few steps, "Of course. Okay um let me pack up your stuff and I'll take you back." He left the room to do as he said.

Al gave Scorpius the thumbs up but didn't want to celebrate too much as Scorpius did look unwell. He'd be okay once he took the other end of the fudge.

Harry returned quickly, Scorpius' overnight bag in his hand. "Al stay here with James and Lily. I'll be back soon. Come on Scorpius let's get you home."

Scorpius felt bad for Mr Potter, he did look concerned for his health.

Scorpius diligently followed Harry to his front doorstep. Harry knocked and sent Scorpius a brief reassuring smile. Moments later his father opened the door and upon seeing Harry and Scorpius he frowned.

Harry looked nervous and a bit guilty, "Sorry to disturb you and Alex. It's just...um Scorpius hasn't been feeling too good, and he suddenly developed a temperature. I'm sure I could have handled it, but he requested to come home."

Draco's expression changed from irritation to concern in an instant. He reached out and felt Scorpius forehead, cast a quick spell that showed his temperature and sighed.

"I think it's a basic fever. Come on let's get you settled in your room." Draco announced, putting his arm around Scorpius.

Scorpius pouted, "I don't want to go to my room. I don't want to be on my own. Can I stay with you?" He pleadingly asked with perfect innocence.

Draco hesitated, obviously thinking that his evening with Alex was well and truly ruined.

"Please." Scorpius begged.

Draco nodded, "Very well."

Harry hesitated, "Here are Scorpius' things. I hope he feels better soon. Sorry I couldn't be of more help."

Harry turned as he heard footsteps and looked to his left to see Alex, who he assumed emerge from the living room.

"Draco what's taking you so...ah Scorpius, you're back early." He pointed out.

Draco looked apologetic, "Yes, he isn't feeling too well and has a temperature. He wanted to come home."

"I bet he did." Alex grumbled, but Harry still heard.

Adding in a clearer voice, "Poor boy. Shall I wait back in the living room while you settle him in his room?" He asked.

Harry could see why Scorpius didn't like Alex. He gave off a 'douche bag' vibe.

"No. Scorpius likes company when he is unwell, it's probably for the best if we cancel our plans and rearrange for another time." Draco coolly replied.

Alex looked annoyed, but seconds later he was smiling, "I understand. When a child is ill they want to be babied. I'll wait in the hall; come out and say goodbye alone." He ordered.

Harry waited for Draco to pull a face or retort that he wasn't someone who was usually spoken to in that manner. But Draco just nodded and ushered Scorpius into the living room.

Harry stared at Alex. "So you're the next door neighbour that Draco and Scorpius rave about. He mentioned your name was Harry but never said it was 'The Harry Potter'."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Why would he?" Harry snapped.

"Just thought it was something worth mentioning." He dryly answered.

Draco came back out and thanked Harry for being so good with Scorpius. Harry asked for an update on Scorpius tomorrow morning and Draco agreed. Harry bid him goodbye and left, ignoring Alex.

"He's a bit rude. Probably thinks he's too important to speak with a mere non-celebratory like me." Alex said amused.

Draco arched an eyebrow, "I assure you that you have Harry's character mistaken and highly inaccurate. I must get back to my son. I'll owl you." Draco said dismissing Alex. He hadn't liked the way he acted around Scorpius for some time, but tonight was the final straw.

Alex lent in for a kiss and Draco turned his head so it landed on his cheek.

"Bye Alex." He icily bode goodnight.

Alex left looking confused and Draco shut the door on him for good. Scorpius had heard the conversation from the living room and smiled. He had thought about taking the second half of the Fever Fudge, but decided it would look too suspicious if he suddenly got better. He'd wait and maybe take it later once his father had given him some medicine. Then his father would think his temperature had decreased due to that.

Upon his return Draco made himself comfortable on the sofa, and Scorpius snuggled up against his side, with his father hugging him.

"I don't understand how someone can mistake Harry's character. He's such a great guy." Scorpius remarked.

Draco agreed 100% with his son, "That he is. So did you manage to eat the whole Fever Fudge? I've been told it tastes vile."

Scorpius sat up and stared at his father, stunned into silence. His father knew he was faking, that it was a Fever Fudge and that he was purposely making himself ill to ruin his night.

"Um, it wasn't very pleasant tasting, but I ate it all." He admitted looking at his father's knees.

Draco chuckled, "I did warn you to stay away from anything edible from that shop."

"How did you know? I swear Harry didn't know, he thinks I'm genuinely ill." He didn't want to get Harry in trouble.

Draco smiled, "I know. I can read you and Harry like a book. I knew the moment I opened the door. However I wasn't sure how you were faking it, until this fell out of your trouser pocket when you sat on the sofa."

Draco held out his hand palm up and there in the centre was the other half of the Fever Fudge.

Scorpius blinked at it, "Oh."

"Quite. Now you'd better eat this so your fever goes away and I'll go make us a hot chocolate. When I get back I'll read you some of the latest Roald Dahl book you've been reading." He squeezed Scorpius' shoulder as he stood.

He wasn't angry with Scorpius; he had shown initiative, cunning, and intelligence by coming up with that plan. Besides, Alex really was the wrong person for him, he knew it from the beginning but was just reluctant to admit it.

OOOoooOOO

The following morning on the way back from walking R.D, Harry and the children called in on the Malfoys.

Draco welcomed them in and set about making coffee. The children ran outside to play in the back garden with the dog.

"Scorpius seems better." Harry pointed out happily, he didn't like seeing Scorpius so forlorn.

Draco debated telling Harry, but then that would get Al in trouble as Scorpius had admitted it was Al who gave him the fudge.

"Yes, he made a miraculous recovery." He replied sarcastically.

Harry hadn't noticed, "Good. Alex seemed pretty peeved about the evening being cut short." He casually remarked.

Draco turned to finish making the drinks, smiling to himself—his back to Harry so he couldn't see. Harry wasn't pulling off cool indifference as well as he thought he was. Besides, his dislike of Alex clearly showed on his face last night. Draco could read Harry very well, but some things still confused him. He wasn't sure if Harry was being this way out of friendship or by some miracle he liked Draco as more than a friend.

He faced Harry once again and handed him his coffee, "Yes, I noticed Alex's attitude too. Let's just say I won't be seeing him again and leave it at that. I don't want the 'I told you so' speech, okay Potter." He warned.

Harry grinned, "I wouldn't dream of it." Suddenly Harry's day was looking up.

"Have you got all of Scorpius' school things ready? Not long until the new school term starts." Harry changed the subject.

Draco nodded, "Of course. I am super organised and would hate for him to go to school without something vital."

Harry suspected that Scorpius never went without anything, whether it was vital or not.

"Al hopes that Scorpius is sorted into his class. Maybe we should mention to the school that Scorpius and Al are friends and that Scorpius would probably settle in better if he was with Al." Harry suggested.

Draco agreed and said he would contact the school admin team later, at a more reasonable hour.

Harry ended up spending all morning and a good part of the afternoon at Draco's. Eventually he rounded up his children and returned to his house; he had some paperwork to deal with and the children were scheduled to go to an adventure play park with Ron, Hermione, and their kids. Most likely the invitation has been extended to include various other Weasleys and their children too.

Harry wasn't going, well not straight away. Hermione had offered to take all three kids so he could get ready to return to work. During the school holiday's he works from home, and only on paperwork. Never in the field. Once the kids returned to school he would be returning to his office and a more hectic work schedule.

He told Hermione that he would try and join them later if he managed to get on top of his work.

Everyone knew that Draco was Harry's new neighbour. In fact, a few of his friends and family had met him and had polite but inconsequential conversations with him. It was hard to not know, what with Al speaking of Scorpius constantly and occasionally Draco. Al was smitten with the Malfoys and Harry suspected that if Draco offered, Al would move in.

Harry packed all the essentials, gave the kids the standard 'behave' talk and then sent them through the floo with Ron and Hermione.

Three hours later and Harry had enough of the monotony of paperwork, he needed a distraction—even some noise. His house was eerily quiet without the kids, even R.D was being quiet. In fact, maybe a little too quiet—the dog snores.

Harry went in search of R.D and couldn't find him. He groaned when he saw that one of the kids must have left the gate to the back garden open, R.D could have just walked right out; he could have left hours ago.

Harry hurried over to Draco's, once again disturbing him. When Draco answered, he looked happy to see him and Harry didn't feel so bad for calling on him yet again.

"Hi." Harry opened up with.

Draco grinned, "Hi." He didn't elaborate further; he always found it more amusing to let Harry struggle on through the conversation.

After a pause, probably too long of a pause, Harry continued, "I've lost R.D. I don't suppose you've seen him? It's probably wishful thinking to hope he is in your garden again."

Draco thought for a moment, "No, I haven't seen or heard him. Come on through and we can check, if he's not here I'll grab my coat and help you look for him." He offered.

Harry followed Draco through to his garden, "Thanks."

R.D wasn't in Draco's garden or anywhere at Draco's at all.

"Shit. Maybe he's gone to the park down the road, that's where I usually take him on his walk." Harry pondered out loud.

"Let's go check there and see." Draco replied.

"Um don't you need to get Scorpius?" Harry realised that he hadn't seen him this evening.

"No, he's spending the night at his mother's. He felt lonely and bored without Al and his mother was a good distraction." Draco answered.

Harry felt strange; he and Draco were both childless for the evening. In fact, Harry suspected that James would want to stay at George's so he could 'chill' with Fred, Lily would either stay at George's too with Roxanne or at Ron's with Rose and Hugo. Al would be happy to come home, but if Harry asked Ron and Hermione to let him stay as well, Al would be happy to.

Harry decided that he would arrange for the kids to stay over at someone's house, giving him a whole night to himself. A whole night in Draco's company with no kids.

"I'll just pop home and grab a dog lead and my coat. Meet you out the front in ten minutes?" He asked.

Draco smiled, "Sure."

Harry called Hermione on her mobile and she was happy to take Al. James and Lily had already asked to stay at George's like Harry predicted.

Lily sometimes liked to stay at Percy's to play with Molly and Lucy, but she preferred to stay at George's with Roxanne as George was more fun and not as strict. He let them eat sweets before bed and stay up late. Even waking them at midnight, for a midnight feast—laid out on the carpet for George's legendary carpet picnics.

Harry grabbed a lead and his coat, locked up his house, and walked to meet Draco who was already outside waiting.

"Sorry. I had to check on the kids. They are staying with relatives for the night, so no worries there." Harry explained.

Draco offered him a smile that made Harry feel strange; a good strange, but strange all the same.

They walked most of the way in silence, until Harry couldn't stand it anymore, "I really like this park. It's dog friendly and R.D goes mad when I bring him here."

Draco chuckled, "R.D goes mad wherever he is. That dog is mental but surprisingly lovable."

Harry grinned, "That he is."

R.D wasn't in the park, or in the surrounding area between the park and Harry's house. Harry was starting to worry. Then a neighbour from across the road saw Harry and called him over.

"Oh, Mr Potter, I am so glad I found you. I tried your house but you weren't home." The friendly middle aged lady said, clearly distressed.

She was a muggle and had no idea that she shared her street with wizards; Harry found all of his neighbours to be lovely, friendly, and welcoming people.

"It's okay Mrs Holdsworth. What's the matter?" He calmly asked.

"It's your dog. He was a street over and just ran out in the road. Someone ran him over—poor man was shook up. He couldn't break in time. He took him to the vet. I heard someone talking about it, and recognised it as your dog. I told the man I would find you. He's at the vet's, the one that is on Charlton Road." She rushed out, she was clearly upset about R.D being ran over.

Harry paled; he had never had any problems with R.D and hadn't needed to take him to the vets, other than for his annual check-up.

Harry vaguely heard Draco thank Mrs Holdsworth and he felt a warm hand on his arm, and a quite, soft whisper in his ear, "Come on Harry, we need to go to the vet."

Harry nodded numbly and let Draco lead him away. Harry vaguely registered that he had climbed into a car...but he soon came out of his dazed shock and stared at Draco. Draco, who was sat comfortably behind the steering wheel, driving with ease and skill.

"You drive?" He blurted.

Draco smirked, "No. This is my first time, a natural aren't I?" He sarcastically answered.

Harry smiled, he couldn't help himself, and said "You look good behind the wheel." He wasn't sure if it was the shock of R.D being ran over, that had his brain malfunctioning, causing him to blurt things he wouldn't usually say.

Draco glanced sideways at him, "Thanks."

"I can drive too. I have a car, but we rarely use it." Harry commented, without Draco asking.

"I found having a car useful, especially since I do business with muggles and having a car is an essential." He clarified.

Harry gave Draco directions to the vet's and they parked. Draco put a hand on Harry's leg as he went to get out, halting him.

"We don't know how serious the accident was. R.D could be in a bad way, you need to try and keep your head. I'm here with you, we'll get through this." He reassured.

Harry liked the feeling of Draco's hand on his leg, he also liked the warmth in his eyes and the concern in his voice. He knew that Draco had sincerely meant the _we'll_ part, meaning them together. It was nice having the support.

They approached the reception desk and asked the lady there for an update, explaining that Harry was the owner of the St Barnard that had been involved in an accident.

The receptionist said that R.D was being operated on and that a vet would be out shortly to explain the procedure. She apologised for not getting Harry's permission before they operated, however it was a matter of urgency and couldn't wait for the owner to arrive.

Harry thanked them and made himself comfortable on the standard issue waiting room chairs. Draco sitting next to him and offering his comforting presence.

Moments later, a young man—who looked barely old enough to drive—walked over to them.

"Hi. I overheard you tell the receptionist that you are the owner of the St Barnard. I was the person who hit him. I am so sorry. He just ran out into the road; I tried to stop but didn't have enough distance between us. I feel awful. I've been with him since the accident and I will cover any vet fees. It really was an accident." He rushed, looking ready to cry.

Harry felt sorry for him, he was still a young boy. Harry would wager he was still a teenager, he probably hadn't been driving long and he had done the decent thing and stopped, even taking R.D to a vet instead of leaving him to his fate.

Harry smiled to show that he wasn't angry, "Accidents happen. Try not to get yourself worked up over it. I'm very thankful that you stopped and even took him to a vet. I wouldn't ask you to cover the vet fees; I have pet insurance it's fine."

The boy looked relieved; he probably didn't have the funds to pay any expensive vet fees but it was kind of him to offer.

"Do you mind if I stay to how the dog fares?" he sheepishly asked.

"Of course. His name is R.D and I'm Harry." He kindly replied.

The young boy sat down on the other side of Harry, "Thanks. I'm Shaun. They've been operating on him for some time now. They should be done soon." Shaun said to fill the silence.

Harry nodded and waited in silence. It was awful; the waiting and fearing of the worst. R.D was one of the family, the kids would be devastated if something was to happen to him.

After what felt like an eternity, but was only a quarter of an hour, a vet came out and called Harry into an examination room.

Harry gave Draco a look say, 'come in with me' and he silently followed without protest. Shaun remained in the waiting room, anxiously waiting for news.

"Mr Potter. It was touch and go for a while. However the operation was successful and R.D should wake and make a full recovery. It may take some time though, he has various injuries which I will explain in a moment. Do you wish to go see him? He's still under, but is now in a dog cage." Harry appreciated the offer, he suspected the vet dealt with many worried owners and knew they would be anxious to see their beloved animals.

"Please." He replied, not able to say any more.

R.D was indeed passed out. But Harry could see the steady rise and fall of his chest and was comforted to see he was alive. The vet opened the cage door so Harry could stroke him and told Harry to close the door and come back to the examination room when he was done.

Harry stroked behind his ears and felt overwhelmed and emotional, "Sorry. You probably think I'm being silly. Overreacting like this." Harry apologised to Draco.

Draco tutted and reached in to stroke R.D's belly, "No need to apologise. You love R.D and he is a part of your family. I can understand why you are feeling overwhelmed. I feel out of sorts myself." He offered as reassurance. However, Draco suspected it wasn't just because R.D had been in an accident, but more so seeing Harry upset has caused him to feel Harry's anguish and the urge to want to help, but feeling helpless.

He wanted to make it all better, to pull Harry in for a hug and tell him it will all be okay and that he was here by his side. However, he had no idea how to be so open and honest with his emotions and settled on trying to comfort Harry as much as he could.

"I feel awful. I should have made sure that the gate was closed, that R.D was safe. I should have noticed he was missing sooner. I..." Harry felt so guilty.

Draco removed his hand from the cage and placed it on Harry's shoulder, making eye contact, "Hey. Enough of that. You are not to blame, just as Shaun isn't to blame. These things happen. It's clear you care deeply for R.D and getting yourself in a state isn't going to help anyone, most of all yourself." He said kindly but sternly.

Harry nodded, he needed someone like Draco in his life. Someone to call him on his behaviour and steer him in the right direction. To offer his support and understanding. In that moment, looking into Draco's warm grey eyes, Harry realised that he felt something for Draco. Feelings that could not be attributed to being just friends.

Harry closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Draco's shoulder. He didn't care if it was crossing the line, if he was making Draco feel uncomfortable. In that moment he needed Draco and he couldn't bare looking into Draco's eyes, so he settled on leaning on him instead.

To Harry's surprised Draco didn't stiffen when he leant on him; in fact, he shuffled forwards slightly and put an arm around him.

It took Harry a few moments to feel ready to go in and listen to the vet list R.D's extensive injuries and any medication he would need. Being held by Draco gave him enough courage to continue though. He pulled away, looked at Draco hoping his eyes showed Draco how much what he had just did meant to him. Draco petted R.D one last time, closed the cage, and they headed back to see the vet.

She explained why they operated, what injuries R.D had sustained, and the healing time it would take for him to recover. She prescribed medication and told Harry that R.D would obviously have to stay for a day or so, but should be able to go home soon.

Harry thanked her and headed back out to the reception to collect the required prescription and sign some paperwork.

Draco reiterated what the vet said to Shaun. He looked sick, he had caused those injuries. Harry joined Draco and Shaun and reassured Shaun that R.D was going to be okay, he was a fighter and would pull through. Harry gave Shaun his home phone number and told him to call him if he wanted to check up on R.D's progress. Shaun looked happy, he obviously felt attached to R.D and appreciated being included and kept up to date.

"What about your car?" Harry suddenly thought. R.D is a big dog, he was bound to have done some damage.

"Um don't know, I'll phone the insurance company. Hopefully I'm covered. My parents are going to be pissed, I only got that car a month ago. Oh well. Better go call Dad for a lift and arrange for a garage to come collect my car. Thanks for being so understanding Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy. Hopefully we'll speak soon. Bye." Shaun left shoulders slumped.

"Nice kid." Draco commented.

Harry agreed, "Must be difficult. Running over someone's pet and all that, I feel for the kid."

Draco smiled, "You worry too much, he'll be okay and so will R.D. Lets go home and get a strong alcoholic drink—I sure as hell need one, and I do believe you do too."

Harry liked the sound of that. He climbed back into Draco's car and Draco drove them home. Harry went over to Draco's, not wanting to see all of R.D's toys and dog bed reminding him of his absence.

Harry settled on the sofa and Draco fetched them their drinks, joining Harry on the sofa.

"Fuck! What am I going to tell the kids? R.D will be at the vet's for a day or two at least." Harry exclaimed.

Draco simply replied, "Tell them the truth. R.D survived and should make a full recovery, they deserve to be treated like grown-ups."

Harry knew that, be he also knew it would be hard being the bearer of bad news.

"Thanks for everything you've done. I probably would have done something stupid in my panicked state, like apparate straight into the vet's or something." He joked, leaning back against the sofa and rubbing his face as he spoke.

Draco laughed, "You were in shock. Besides it's the least I could do, I felt so helpless." He admitted.

Harry turned his head to the side to regard Draco. It wasn't like him to admit that he wasn't in control, that he felt helpless in a situation.

"You were extremely helpful and your shoulder is surprisingly comfortable. Not at all bony and uncomfortable as I expected." He playfully quipped to lighten the mood.

Draco looked affronted, "What do you mean like you expected? You expect me to be all skin and bones!" He pretended to be outraged.

Harry grinned, "That is exactly what I expected." Harry confirmed.

Draco huffed and Harry laughed, "I said you _weren't_ bony. I may have assumed you'd be, but you aren't. Which is surprising, as you look all bony and pointy."

"Do you want a shovel? So you can continue to dig yourself a hole. Talk about backhanded compliments." He groused.

Harry stopped smiling unsure if Draco was being serious, "No, you suit the pointiness."

"Right. Keep digging." He remarked, face blank.

Harry sat forwards, face pleading, "No! I meant it as a compliment. You're sculptured—pointy and straight lines, in an attractive way. Symmetrical." He didn't think he was helping matters.

Draco smiled inwardly, Harry had said he was attractive, "Symmetrical?"

Harry jumped on it, Draco no longer sounded annoyed just curious, "Yeah, you know there is a formula for facial beauty involving symmetry? It happens to be the standard for learning to draw portraits. You know like when an artist will draw a face, a typical good looking person—they always draw them with a symmetrical face and features. You, um, are symmetrical." He finished lamely.

"Oh, well I've never been told that before. Thanks...I think." He remarked, pouring them another drink.

Harry relaxed once again, Draco no longer seemed peeved at him. Although he probably should watch what he says around Draco, he wouldn't want Draco to be freaked out by his comments.

"Do you want to say something insulting to me? You know, to even the playing field and all that." Harry asked, voice teasing.

Draco smirked and eyed Harry, "Only _one_ thing. Gosh..."

"Oi! Cheeky git." Harry remarked.

"Let's see. You have very big and bushy eyebrows. There, take that Potter!" he laughed afterwards. It was true, but just because they were big and bushy didn't mean they weren't unattractive, in fact Harry was a very attractive person.

Harry frowned, "I do?"

"Uh-huh, totally." He said seriously, fighting his smile.

Harry conjured a small mirror and looked at his reflection, "I guess I do. I've never given them much attention before." He vanished the mirror and took a large sip of his drink.

Draco bumped his knee against Harry's leg, "Are you sulking now?" He asked playfully.

Harry pouted, "No."

"Good. Because that would be awfully rude of you considering you gravely insulted me earlier." He reminded Harry.

"Pour me a large one and I'll forgive you." He informed Draco, holding out his empty glass.

Draco did as instructed, pouring himself an equally large one.

"What are eyebrows for anyway? I mean what do they do exactly?" Harry asked, the drink starting to get to him.

"Lots of reasons. You can tell what someone is thinking by watching their facial expression, especially the eyebrows." Draco reasoned.

"How?"

"Like frowning, or eyebrows raised to show surprise or shock, or even my trademark one eyebrow lift." He pointed out, demonstrating said trademark.

Harry grinned, "Fair point."

"Also, scientifically, I think we evolved and developed eyebrows to keep the moisture and sweat out of our eyes." He added in a know-it-all tone.

"Then having thick, bushy eyebrows is to my advantage. You must get sweat in your eyes all the time." Harry retorted.

"I hardly do anything that warrants having bushy eyebrows. I mean, I don't particularly work up a sweat often."

Harry laughed, "Get your mind out of the gutter Potter. I was referring to exercise."

"Sex is exercise!" Harry cried in protest.

"Hardly." Draco replied.

"I'm not saying it is a substitute to exercise, but it must count towards your exercise quota. I mean you must burn some calories doing it." He debated.

Draco couldn't believe they were having this discussion.

"Okay, so that may be true. But what if you were a 'go slow' kind of guy? That can't burn too many calories." He pointed out.

Harry blushed, "Are you the 'go slow' kind of guy?"

Draco plastered on a sultry look, "I can be. Sometimes going fast doesn't always win the race. Going fast may bring someone to climax but you may not give them an orgasm. The longer you stimulate your lover—and the slower you take things—the more likelihood of getting them to orgasm." He explained.

Harry suddenly felt all hot and bothered.

Draco was either oblivious to Harry's plight, or he knew and was determined to get Harry worked up.

He continued by saying, "I'd like to think I am a good lover. I've learnt that the slower you take things, and the more times you get close to the edge without going over, the more powerful the release will be when you finally climax."

He turned to face Harry fully and asked, "What do you think?"

Harry worked his throat, shifted in his seat, and finally answered, "Yeah. Yeah I agree."

"I hope Alex appreciated your obvious knowledge and skill." Harry commented.

Draco frowned, feeling slightly intoxicated. Now on his...his...Merlin knows how many drinks he's had.

"Alex? No! He and I...we didn't...we never...things ended before they'd even really begun." Draco hurried to explain. He wanted Harry to know he hadn't slept with Alex.

Harry smiled slyly, "Good to know."

Draco suspected that Harry was flirting with him. He wasn't 100% certain that Harry was into men, but he was maybe 90% sure that he was.

He spent a lot of his time with Harry nowadays and he felt that they had chemistry. He felt the perfect mix of sexual tension and emotional and intellectual engagement between them. If anything, their chemistry and sexual tension escalated after each meeting.

They often engaged in playful flirting. Throwing insults and antagonising one another—teasing. Their exchanges would become all about the struggle for control and dominance: who holds the upper hand in the interaction. Their flirting was _fun_, verbal sparring rather than any actual fighting.

Draco looked back on his school days and could see a similar pattern, he just never knew at the time that he was seeking Harry's attention. Almost obsessive, he just put it down to 'hating' him. How wrong he was; and now that he had grown up, he realised that he was attracted to Harry.

As Draco heard Harry reply, 'Good to know' he made eye contact with him and could see the desire and playfulness in them. Harry had what he referred to as 'bedroom eyes' just one look from Harry could convey sexual subtext without Harry uttering a word.

Fuck, he wanted Harry—he wanted Harry desperately.

Harry was starting to feel slightly drunk and the looks Draco was sending him wasn't helping his intoxication. He was doing it now, giving Harry a penetrating gaze. A look that said not only was Draco seeing through him, but he was picturing Harry naked and the insane things that the two of them could be doing.

"Draco..." Harry uttered lustfully not sure what he was going to say.

"Yes Harry?" He answered, subconsciously moving closer to Harry.

Draco almost cast a bombarda at his fireplace when it roared to life, but he managed to refrain from doing so upon seeing his mother's head in the flames.

"Mother!" He exclaimed, standing quickly and getting a head rush. Feeling slightly dizzy he moved in front of the fire.

"Don't sound so surprised Draco. I told you last week I'd be calling." She chastised.

"Sorry Mother, I had forgotten." He admitted.

"You're forgetting a lot of things lately. I take it even though Scorpius is at his mother's, yes I know he is as I had a talk with Astoria moments ago, I take it that you and he are still coming over tomorrow for lunch as agreed?" She asked, eyeing Draco. Most likely wondering if he had forgotten their plans too.

"Yes, of course, wouldn't miss it for anything." Draco replied, with a hint of sarcasm.

Draco was just about to cut the call short when his mother launched into a conversation about Scorpius starting his new school, and Draco hated to interrupt his mother mid-sentence. She didn't seem to take a break, or breathe.

By the time he had finally ended the call, he turned around to find Harry gone and a note in his place. The note said that he had probably drunk too much and was going home to sleep it off, that he'd see him soon.

Draco swore; his mother had unfortunate timing. He was sure that he and Harry were going to kiss. Reluctantly he cleaned away the glasses and headed to bed himself, trying not to think about the fact that he may have not been alone in his bed if he and Harry had kissed.

- TBC-


End file.
